Co-creating a common EU vision of carbon removals

The report, produced by the CO2ol Down project, argues that the current EU Climate Law fails to differentiate between temporary biogenic sequestration and permanent carbon removals. It proposes specific legislative amendments to ensure that permanent removals are used only to compensate for residual emissions and that biogenic sequestration is managed for ecosystem resilience rather than as a primary tool for climate neutrality. The proposal suggests establishing separate targets and trajectories for emissions reductions, biogenic sequestration, and permanent removals to avoid mitigation deterrence.

• The current EU Climate Law is insufficient because it does not distinguish between the roles of biogenic sequestration by natural sinks and permanent removals, nor does it specify the volume or type of removals required for the 2050 net-zero target.
• Biogenic sequestration by natural sinks is characterized as temporary and vulnerable to disturbances, and therefore should not be used to offset anthropogenic emissions that persist in the atmosphere for millennia.
• Permanent carbon removals are necessary to compensate for residual emissions that are technically and socially difficult to abate, but their targets must remain separate from emissions reduction targets to prevent mitigation deterrence.
• The proposal recommends that the EU set a net negative emissions target to be reached by 2055 at the latest, with a clear pathway established by 2030.
• The European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change (ESABCC) should provide detailed five-year carbon budgets that explicitly distinguish between gross emissions reductions, net biogenic sequestration, and permanent removals.
• The proposal suggests that the 2040 climate target should be expressed in both net and gross terms, with specific limits placed on the contributions of biogenic sequestration and permanent removals.
• The European Commission should be mandated to adopt a dedicated implementing strategy for permanent carbon removals within 12 months of the regulation's entry into force.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (2024). Co-creating a common EU vision of carbon removals. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Proposal-to-revise-climatelaw.pdf

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. Co-creating a common EU vision of carbon removals. 2024. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Proposal-to-revise-climatelaw.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=Co-creating a common EU vision of carbon removals |date=December 2024 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Proposal-to-revise-climatelaw.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{carbonmarketwatch2024cocreating, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{Co-creating a common EU vision of carbon removals}}, institution = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/Proposal-to-revise-climatelaw.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }